Author: Andrew Grey
Series: Standalone
Genre: M/M,
Contemporary Romance, Western
Publisher: Dreamspinner
Press
Release Date: Feb 15 2016
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Aubrey Klein is in real trouble—he needs some fast money to
save the family ranch. His solution? A weekend job as a stripper at a club in
Dallas. For two shows each Saturday, he is the star as The Lone Rancher.
It leads to at least one unexpected revelation: after a
show, Garrett Lamston, an old friend from school, approaches the still-masked
Aubrey to see about some extra fun… and Aubrey had no idea Garrett was gay. As
the two men dodge their mothers’ attempts to set them up with girls, their
friendship deepens, and one thing leads to another.
Aubrey know his life stretching between the ranch and the
club is a house of cards. He just hopes he can keep it standing long enough to
save the ranch and launch the life—and the love—he really hopes he can have.
Write a “What’s New” post to share upcoming projects. What are you working on?
Right now I am working on a story that I’m calling Awakening. Though the title may change. It’s the story of Malcolm, a lawyer, who has spent the last 15 months grieving hard for this lover David who passed away. Everyone loved David, but people are beginning to see that Malcolm needs to move on a little. But Malcolm still hasn’t slept on David’s side the bed and he lives part of his life as a zombie lost in routine as an escape.
Malcolm is knocked out of his complacency when he gets a new client, a stunning client, with eyes like David’s. After the eyes the stunning package of a younger man sets his imagination running for the very first time since David’s passing.
Hans is an author of adventure stories and he lives that life, skiing, diving, rafting, safari and Malcolm wonders how he can possibly compete or keep the interest of a man ten years younger than he is. Top that off with shakeups at work where Malcolm is thrust into a position he never really wanted, and he’s overwhelmed and more than a little worried.
After I finish Awakening, I’m going to start a story for Dirk. A western suspense. It should be fun. I get to kill people in this one.
Excerpt
Aubrey Klein sat back in his chair with a groan. No matter
how many ways he tried to add up these damned numbers, they just wouldn’t come
out right. The ranch was doing better, and he’d made a lot of progress in the
last six months, but they were still hanging on by a lick and a prayer. The
hole that had been dug in over years couldn’t be filled in and wiped clean in a
matter of months, he knew. The debt was going down, and if he had to, he could
hold on for maybe another six months to a year, as long as he caught some sort
of break with the weather. He closed the ledger with a thud and wished his
daddy had converted the records to computer years ago. Of course, if he’d have
done that, he might have done some of the other things necessary to keep the
ranch from ending up on the brink of foreclosure.
“Son, are you done in there? I need your help in the yard.”
“Sure, Dad, I’ll be right there,” Aubrey called. There was
work to be done, and wishing the ranch books were in better shape wasn’t going
to make it happen. That was going to take hard work and sacrifice. Aubrey
cringed as he thought about the sacrifices he’d already made. But if those
sacrifices saved the ranch and helped his mom and dad get back on a level
footing, it would be worth it.
He got up and left the office. For years this room had been
his father’s domain, but now it was his. Aubrey met his dad by the kitchen and
followed him outside, where a load of hay for the horses was waiting to be
unloaded. Aubrey groaned. “Where did this come from?” He clamped his eyes
closed. They already had a barn full of hay.
“John Bridger had some extra, and we always need hay, so….”
“Dad.” Aubrey stifled the urge to yell. It wouldn’t do any
good. Diabetes and its complications had slowly robbed his father of the
ability to fully think things through, and he now tended to make emotional
decisions as opposed to business or rational ones. “The barn’s already full.
There’s enough hay to more than last us.”
Dad walked to the barn and peered upward. Aubrey could see
his father’s shoulders slump slightly the moment he realized Aubrey was right,
and just like that Aubrey wished he hadn’t been. “Sorry, son, I thought….” His
words trailed off in a cloud of defeat. “Nothing seems to turn out right for me
anymore.”
“Don’t worry about it, Dad. I’ll find a place for it. Just
be sure to ask me before you buy things for the ranch. I have things under
control, and we’re going to be okay.” Lord, he hoped to high heaven that he
wasn’t telling his dad a lie. Things were getting better, and he was close to
having the money together to finally pay off the most vicious of the loans his
father had taken out. Once that debt was gone, he hoped to be able to start
paying down the others and free up some money for improvements. “Why don’t you
go on in and see what Mom has for lunch? I need to get this unloaded.” Aubrey
looked at his watch and realized he needed to get a move on or he was going to
be late.
“Everything okay?” Garrett Lamston asked as he came around
the barn. He worked for Bridger and had obviously been the one to make the
delivery. “You don’t need this hay, do you?”
Aubrey waited until his dad was inside. “No. I have plenty
right now. I know with the drought the past few months that there are plenty of
folks who need it. But I—” The last thing he needed was another bill for
something he didn’t need.
“Don’t you worry. John offered his extra to your dad because
he wanted to make sure you had enough. We have a number of places that will
take it.” Garrett smiled, and Aubrey did his best not to let his heart do the
little flips it always did when Garrett was nearby. Not that it mattered. He
and Garrett were friends—or at least they’d known each other since they were
kids. “It’s not a problem.”
“That’s mighty good of you,” Aubrey said with relief.
“I take it things are still tough for your dad.” Garrett
lifted his hat and wiped his forehead before dropping the old, once-white
Stetson back down onto his head. He’d worn that same hat for years, and it
looked as fine on him today as always.
“They aren’t going to get better. All those years on insulin
and not listening to the doctors have taken their toll. Mama does what she can,
but he’s a stubborn old coot and overdoes it all the time. Last week I found
him passed out on the barn floor after he tried to clean stalls and overexerted
himself.” He’d had to use glucose injections to bring his father around. It
hadn’t been pretty, but he’d done what he had to.
Garrett nodded slowly in that way he had. “Wish there was
something I could do to help.”
Aubrey patted the trailer. “You already have.”
Garrett smiled and turned to go. Aubrey watched him as he
went, glad he was alone, because anyone watching him stare at that high, pert
cowboy ass in those tight Wranglers would know exactly what kind of thoughts
and images were running around in his head. He blinked to clear his lascivious
thoughts and school his expression as Garrett stopped to yank open the truck
door and climb in. While things were changing—maybe slowly in this part of
Texas—he wasn’t about to tempt fate and let everyone know which way he swung.
With the ranch just hanging on, the last thing he needed were rumors and folks
deciding they didn’t need to be doing business with him. That could be the end
of everything he’d been working so hard to preserve.
Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and
leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when
writing) He considers himself blessed
with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive
and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle,
Pennsylvania.
Author
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